Blog
[Hidden Wonders of Japan] What Do the Lights of Sakurayama Show?
 Prop your camera in the middle of this pedestrian bridge and wait patiently as cars whizz by in the […]
Blog
Submit Now! ‘Hidden Wonders of Japan’ Photo Essay by Readers
 What comes to mind when you think of Japan? Yes, there are the loud lights, jaw-dropping temples, and the manga and […]
Blog
Discovering Japanese YouTube
Oliver Trapnell  Japan’s rainy season is in full swing and people have begun spending more time indoors. To help […]
Special Reports
JAPAN Forward Celebrates 1st Anniversary
 We officially launched japan-forward.com on June 1, 2017, with the goal of delivering Japan-related news, features, analyses, and commentaries […]
Blog
Experience Japan Within Tokyo’s Limits
  Taylor Bond  For those based in Tokyo, travel expenses can be a make-or-break factor when considering whether […]
Blog
Tattoos and Onsens—They Do Mix
  Chelsea Jeter  Ah, the onsen—a distant dream for those with tattoos in Tokyo…or so we thought. More […]
Blog
In Niigata, A Quest for Unique Islands and Local Food
  Luca Vogel  Due to its curved geographical shape and chains of mountains separating its regions, Japan is, […]
Blog
Naoshima: Japan’s Island of Art
  Patrick Kelly In the Seto Inland Sea, a large body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—three of […]
Sakura 🌸
2018 May 14 – 31 – Sakura Photos by JAPAN Forward Readers
 This is our final installment of the 2018 Sakura Photo Contest. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and […]
Blog
Back in Swing: The Secret Subculture of Jazz Cafes
  Read any Haruki Murakami novel and it is easy to tell the inescapable grip jazz once had on […]
Blog
A Tale of the Changing Culture of Ramen
 When I was 15, a friend went to a Comic Conference in Italy. The next day he approached me […]
Blog
Up Close and Personal with Japan’s Wildlife
  To anyone familiar with Japan it should not come as a surprise  that mascots, animal-themed products, and services […]